Jack Sock Tennis US Open - Tennis Review

Jack Sock Tennis US Open

PARIS - Ah, the French Open, the time of year when a certain question is asked repeatedly by American tennis fans: Why can't the country's players, particularly the men, find success on red clay?

Yes, that's right, even though there are not many red clay courts in the United States - Sock first encountered them in Europe - and even though, at first glance, they're considered less-than-ideal for players who thrive on speedy serves and forehands. Sock and another U.S. man, 16th-seeded John Isner, both fit that description. Both won first-round matches at Roland Garros on Tuesday.

"This just suits my game very well, " Sock said. "I'm able to take my time and kind of maneuver the ball around. Movement is another big part of my game. I feel like on the clay, I get to a lot of balls."

  • Contrary to the generally lackluster state of the U.S. players' game in France, Jack Sock and John Isner made a huge impression.

Dimitrov's take?

"Jack played his game, " he said.

Cleanly, too. Sock hit 30 winners and made only 18 unforced errors (10 fewer than Dimitrov) and saved all six break points he faced. Pounding serves at up to 136 mph, leaping into his big forehands, and effectively pressing forward to win the point on 19 of 25 trips to the net.

Not traditional clay-court tennis, necessarily. But it worked.

"I may have been one of the first to really like it, " said Sock, who won his first ATP singles title last month in Houston on green clay. "For me personally, I look forward to this time of year."

"A lot is said about clay and how it's a defensive surface. It's sort of, I would say, a misconception, " Isner said. "I think clay is a very good attacking surface. A guy like (Rafael Nadal), yeah, he plays great defense, but knocks the cover off the ball."

Four of the seven U.S. men in this year's field already are gone, as are 13 of the 17 women from the country. Andre Agassi was the last American man to even get to the quarterfinals at the French Open, and that was all the way back in 2003.

Sock, who won the 2014 Wimbledon doubles title, had surgery to repair a torn hip muscle in December, so his 2015 season began late. He also dealt with a more worrisome matter this year: His older brother had a serious lung infection.



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